Making sure your bamboo gets adequate water will ensure that your bamboo has what it needs to not only survive, but thrive! Please refer to our other documents and care instructions regarding bamboo water needs. After being diligent with your hand-watering routine, you may decide that you’d benefit from an automatic irrigation system. Upgrade time! We all have busy lives, and it’s nice when we can put a battery-powered timer in charge!
An automatic irrigation system will give your bamboo planting proper watering all year round, and this is especially important in our dry region. Adequate water ensures the development of rhizomes and helps to enable shoots to emerge and reach their highest growth capacity during shooting seasons. Automated irrigation systems also ensure consistency, and consistency is key!
Drip emitters are popular with gardeners, but we recommend spray emitters, such as “spot spitters” (see embedded PDF below), as they offer a 160 degree flow as opposed to a small trickle. Drip emitters do not emit a large enough volume of water and do not cover an area widely enough. The quantity of emitters needed varies depending on the size of the plants being installed. For a 5 or 15 gallon plant, we recommend starting with one emitter per plant. For a 25 gallon or larger, it’s best to start with two on either side of each plant to ensure a thorough, nearly 360 degree watering per plant. You will need to add more emitters as the plants expand with age. See the embedded PDF below on emitter flow frequency rates. In general, at initial planting, we recommend watering 2-3 times per week for 15 minutes each watering, delivering approximately 5 gallons of water per plant per watering. Deep soakings are better for bamboo than frequent shallow watering every day. If you want your bamboo to spread rapidly, irrigate regularly and deeply not only directly around the plant, but a few feet into the area where you want your bamboo to spread.
If you are adding irrigation to an existing planting, it is best to call us to discuss, as there are many variables that can affect the design and implementation
It is important to monitor your watering and test and tune your irrigation systems to make sure they are working properly, even in the winter. Rainfall isn’t always enough. Given how dry our last couple of winters have been, it is likely that you will need to water your bamboo throughout the winter. Don’t turn off your irrigation or assume your irrigation system is working. Be sure to monitor soil moisture level even in wet weather, especially for container plantings. Be sure to check your irrigation system and start getting into the habit of watering your bamboo deeply and regularly. If you have an automated system, is it on? Inspect all components, timing programs, batteries and power supply. Run it and check to be sure the water is going where you need it. Remember that bamboo in pots and planter boxes dries out quickly and needs more regular irrigation than ground plantings do. New plantings also need extra water. In all cases, consider mulching the soil to help conserve moisture, and time your irrigation for the mornings or evenings when there is less evaporation.
